


The Final Straw

by MaxiBrux



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, Growing Up, Standing up for yourself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:54:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28048011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxiBrux/pseuds/MaxiBrux
Summary: Bella's reaction to Jake manipulating her into kissing him before the fight with the new borns is a bit different to how it was in canon.  This is how I wish it had been.A re-edited version of the story of same name posted on another FF site.
Relationships: Bella Swan & Charlie Swan, Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Jacob Black & Bella Swan
Comments: 10
Kudos: 43





	The Final Straw

**Author's Note:**

> In much of the Twilight series Bella is a wet blanket, and there were many times when I read the books that I wished she would grow a back bone. The way Charlie pushed Bella and Jake together also irritated me. This little story addresses both those issues.

I turned to walk back to the tent and Edward, not sure how I felt about what had happened. The kiss wasn’t as bad as I had expected, it had even been quite pleasant for a little while and I had allowed myself to almost enjoy it, at least not to hate it, but it was still nowhere near as potent as kissing Edward. And I had to make sure that it never happened again. For one, I didn’t particularly like the hot dog breath that was still in my mouth and much preferred the cool taste of my Edward.

Judging by the excited whelps that Jacob was making as he bounded towards the clearing I guessed that all of the pack were getting a replay of that kiss, no doubt spiced up a little to make it sound better than it was – at least better than it was for me.

And if the whole pack was getting a replay, so was Seth and, by default, Edward. Crap. That was not good. Damn. If only he had kept his mouth shut about the engagement until after the fight, like I had wanted, this would never have happened. So now I had to pussyfoot around the feelings of two males instead of just the one. Why did I always have to make sure other peoples’ feelings were not hurt, or hurt as little as possible, when they didn’t take my feelings into account?

Did Edward care that I had said that I didn’t want Jacob to know about our engagement until after the fight? No he did not. 

Did Jacob care that the fact that I had promised to marry Edward surely meant that I really did not want to kiss him? No he did not.

Perhaps it was time that they both learnt that I had feelings too and they needed to give them due consideration and not just ride roughshod over them.

I saw Edward looking at me devastated. He thought it meant that we were over. My immediate reaction was to go and comfort him, beg his forgiveness, but a tiny part of my brain warned me that that was not the correct path this time. This time Edward needed to realise that I was a strong woman capable of making my own decisions.

I quietly asked Seth if he could move further away from us for a while “at least far enough away that you can’t hear me speak at this level since I need to talk to Edward and I would rather it was kept private for as long as possible.”

With a sympathetic nod of his sandy coloured head Seth bounded away.

“Thank you so much Edward” I yelled quietly at him in the hope that Seth was far enough away and could not hear. “Thanks to you not being able to keep from rubbing Jake’s nose in the fact that I have chosen you completely, I now have a mouth full of dog breath and no mouth wash to get rid of the taste. And no doubt I’m going to have to let Jake down even further since he’ll have taken that kiss to be a declaration of eternal love and that’s going to be real fun. And then” I was starting to get genuinely cross with how things had turned out, “I’m going to have to explain to my father how it is that a bunch of kids from La Push knew about us getting married before he did, unless I can get to him before Billy. Way to make it harder for me, Edward.” 

A quick glance at my love’s face showed that I had taken him by surprise.

“You mean you don’t want Jacob? You haven’t changed your mind?” he asked hesitantly.

“No, and no, unless you keep ignoring what I say. I told you I didn’t want to say anything before the fight; in fact I didn’t want to tell Jake before Charlie and Renee. Would it really have hurt you to listen to me?”

“But you clearly enjoyed kissing Jacob, you responded!” Edward argued.

I took a deep sigh and tried to explain something to him because he was still not sure that he was the best thing for me. “It was not as bad as I feared, given that his previous kiss had been physically forced on me, and it was quite pleasant at times. But have I ever thought that kissing you was not as bad as I feared, or quite pleasant? Do you really think that I would choose those two feelings to breath taking and soul merging? Can you not see the pattern that is emerging?” I asked, but then continued without giving him a chance to answer. “Do you remember when you took me to prom and I said that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be? I quite enjoyed certain aspects of it, and by that I mean the dancing wrapped in your arms. Couldn’t you have arranged a scenario that allowed me to do that without the awkwardness of having everyone staring at me? Can you not listen to me when I say what I want and what I don’t want? Or is that what you want for me? A lifetime of experiences that are not as bad as I fear instead of an eternity of extraordinarily wonderful? Why do I have to keep attempting to prove to you and everyone else that I love you, want you?”

I was no longer listening to Edward as he reassured me of his love: I had just realised that I was tired of trying to convince everyone that Edward was it for me, especially Jacob, Charlie and Edward himself and I was dammed if I was going to apologise for that anymore.

Alice drove me home after the fights. I was feeling numb. I had had enough of conflict and wanted to just relax in Edward’s arms.

“You need to keep up the charade just a little longer for Charlie” Alice was telling me. “Once you’ve got Charlie settled you can come back and be with Edward.”

Alice continued to look at me worriedly. “You’ve decided something and it’s made your future go all fuzzy. What have you decided, Bella? Why can I see you in the future but not what you’re doing?”

“Perhaps because you need to know how people are going to react to my decision. I’m turning over a new leaf and this had better change the way certain people see me because I have had enough of being the calm, responsible, considerate Bella. Today I changed and I don’t know how the new me will be received.”

“Bella, you know that we love you and that you don’t need to change, don’t you?” Alice was really starting to sound worried.

“I know that I am fed up with being taken for granted, for being the mat that certain people walk upon rather than the bridge between them, for not liking myself for being the drip that everyone can guilt into doing what they want, what they think is best while ignoring what I want. So it stops now. Thanks for the lift, Alice, and the new clothes. I’ll see you shortly.”

I stepped out of the car to Alice’s mutters about thinking that it was probably all going to end badly. I felt a little bad for the well-meaning, but evil, little pixie. She did find it very hard when she couldn’t see what was going to happen. Still it would do her, and everyone, some good to fly blind for a while. And she had yet to learn that my new leaf meant no more Bella Barbie.

“Oh, good, you’re back” Charlie greeted me as I entered our home. “Listen, Jake’s been in an accident, hurt pretty bad, and he’s asking for you. As soon as we’ve had dinner, you should go to him. Would it be quicker for me to order pizza to save you having to cook?”

“Hey, dad. How was your weekend? Did you catch much? What do you think of this outfit Alice chose for me?” I ignored what he said about Jake, hoping that he would take the hint.

“Bella! I don’t care about your outfit; Jake is hurt and asking for you. What about dinner?”

It was the final straw. I was not going to put up with Charlie trying to throw Jake and me together, and nor was I prepared to be the housekeeper and cook anymore.

“Charlie, I am not going to see Jake. I don’t care that he is hurt, no, that is not true, I do care but not enough to go and see him at the moment. I have had enough of you and him guilting me into spending time with him when I don’t want to. I know you want me to choose Jacob, heck, you even condoned him assaulting me and what kind of father would do that? But I am not going to allow you to manipulate me like that anymore. I was going to get you some dinner before I go to the Cullens to spend some time with Edward but perhaps its best that you learn not to rely on me to be your housekeeper since I’m going to be with Edward as much as I can.”

“What do you mean I condoned Jake assaulting you? Do you mean that kiss? Grow up Bella, it was just a kiss, can’t Cullen take the competition?”

“He forcibly held my face so that I could not move it away from him. He held my body to him so I couldn’t step back. He then pushed his lips onto mine as I struggled to get away. If Edward had done that you would have arrested him before I could blink and I have had enough of your hypocrisy.”

“It wasn’t that bad, Jake would never hurt you unlike that Cullen kid. Have you forgotten what you were like when he left you? I haven’t. I will never forgive him for doing that to you and if I could I would have arrested him for attempted murder for leaving you in the forest like that, breaking you the way he did. You forgive that but you hold it against Jake that he gave you one little kiss. You need to get your priorities sorted Bella.”

I looked at my father and realised that he was right, I did need to get my priorities sorted.

“The only thing Edward ever did to hurt me was to break up with me. Since when has that been a misdemeanour let alone a capital offence? He left me on the path, just there, I could see the house but I decided to walk into the woods. Everything that happened to me after he broke up with me is my fault; they were the results of my choices. Since he came back Edward has been constantly trying to prove that he won’t break up with me again, begging me to marry him, and by the way, I finally agreed to do that we just haven’t sorted any details yet, and at no point has he hurt me. You and Jacob, however, frequently hurt me by being rude to and about Edward, telling me that I am an idiot and in Jacob’s case physically by forcing me to endure his attentions. I won’t tell you how much it hurts that my father wants me to be with a boy who would do that rather than a man who treats me like a queen.”

Charlie stood looking at me as if I was a stranger, and I guess that I was for I had never spoken to him like that before. The closest was when we had just returned from Italy and I accepted being grounded. Now I would accept no punishment. I picked up the ‘phone and called the Cullen house. Esme answered.

“Esme, you’re on speaker with Charlie listening” I wanted to be sure that she didn’t say anything incriminating. “Esme I’ve recently discovered that trying to keep everyone happy at my own expense is not working so I’m going to try and focus on what makes me happy for a while.”

“That sounds very sensible, dear” Esme said over the ‘phone. “How can I help?”

“Well I should like to come and stay with Edward for a while if it is okay with you, Carlisle and Edward since we are both over 18 and I want us to sleep in the same room, but it is your house so I don’t want to override your rights while doing what I want.”

Before Esme could respond Charlie spluttered “You are not sleeping in the same room as that boy I don’t care how old you are. In this house you follow my rules, young lady.”

“Which is why I am not asking if Edward can stay here. Esme, can I stay with Edward at your place?”

“I’m sorry if this upsets you, Charlie, but Bella is always welcome to stay here and of course you can sleep with Edward, you are both adults and I wouldn’t dream of treating you as otherwise.”

“Thanks, Esme, I’ll be over as soon as I’ve got together a bag.”

Charlie was going red. I had a feeling that our relationship was about to hit the can. Perhaps it was as well if it happened now rather than when I disappeared to take up the reins of immortality.

“You listen to me, Bella, that boy is no good for you. He left you once; he could leave you again, despite all that crap about the two of you getting married.”

I had to try one last time to salvage something of our relationship. “Do you remember what happened when Tyler Crowley nearly hit me with his van? Edward risked himself to save me. Do you remember when I ran to Phoenix? Edward came after me. Yes I got hurt, but that was not his fault. And please stop calling Edward a boy. He is a man: a man who loves me and wants to marry me.”

“That Cullen kid is not good for you and the last thing I want is to have him as a son in law. Jacob, on the other hand, is already like family and is good for you, you were happy with him.”

“Even when Jacob and I were friends, did my nightmares stop? No they did not because all he was, all he could be, is a band aid trying to hold a gaping hole together. Why would you want me to go back to having nightmares every night? As for him already being like family, yes that is exactly how I felt, so why would I want to get involved in an incestuous relationship?” I tried to reason.

“Bella, Jacob is the one for you and if you go to the Cullens’ now then don’t come back unless it’s to get your stuff or to apologise when you’ve broken up with that douche bag. I mean it.” I could tell that Charlie did feel like that and marvelled at the hypocrisy.

“I’m sorry you feel like that, Charlie. You know I always understood why you would choose Jacob over Edward, even though he is still only sixteen and you would have hit the roof if I had wanted to be with an eighteen year old when I was sixteen, I just don’t get why you would choose Jacob over me, your own daughter. Is it because we never saw much of each other as I was growing up? But I have never come first with you, have I?” and I started to think back over my childhood, looking at things from a different perspective.

“How many times did I mean enough to you that you would forsake one of your weekend fishing trips and visit me in Phoenix instead? Never. It was always Forks and your life here before me, well, that’s okay now. Now I’m going to be with a man with whom I can discuss literature and music and not an ignorant boy; a man who always puts me first and I can now do that without feeling guilty for it. I’ll come and get my stuff in a couple of days when Edward and I have discussed what to do.”

I finished packing a bag under Charlie’s watchful eye. As I closed the door to my truck Charlie called “I’ll see you in a few days, or a week at the most, when it all hits the fan. I’ll tell Jake that you’ll be by to see him later – don’t forget how much you owe him.”

“Bye, thanks for your faith in me. You can tell Jacob that I’ll call him to say goodbye or he can come visit me at the Cullens’ place. Don’t worry, I doubt that he is seriously hurt, a couple of days’ rest and he’ll be back to normal.”

I was lucky that anger kept most of the tears at bay (which was strange since I usually cried buckets when I was angry) but I was also filled with a new strength, a new insight into myself and how I related to others. 

I belonged with the Cullens because with them I could be me. I could take from them as well as give of myself. They did not need me to look after them. It was they who looked after me. To them I was precious enough to be protected and cared for rather than the other way around. All they wanted from me was love and acceptance – which I gave unconditionally.

Alice was waiting for me. “I saw your conversation with Charlie. Rose and Emmett much prefer the new you, by the way. ‘Badass Bella’ is your new nick name. Edward is with Jasper making sure all the ashes disperse and will be here shortly. Let me take your bag to your room: I’ve cleared a bit more space in the closet for your stuff.”

I smiled at Alice but said nothing. I could see that it was driving her round the bend but she would have to wait until Edward and I had talked and made our plans for ourselves. But as long as Edward liked Badass Bella then I was sure that we would have lots of time to adjust to the new, and from my perspective, much improved, me.

**Author's Note:**

> I deliberately left it so that Bella and Charlie could still repair their relationship, if that is how you want it to play.
> 
> Stay safe.


End file.
